March 30, 2023
Afternoon Update:
** New York Times: "A Manhattan grand jury voted to indict Donald J. Trump on Thursday for his role in paying hush money to a porn star, according to four people with knowledge of the matter.... The felony indictment, filed under seal by the Manhattan district attorney's office, will likely be announced in the coming days. By then, prosecutors working for the district attorney, Alvin L. Bragg, will have asked Mr. Trump to surrender and to face arraignment on charges that remain unknown for now." This is part of a liveblog. Some of the liveblog updates are interesting. ~~~
~~~ Michael Sisak, et al., of the AP: Joe Tacopina, "a lawyer for Donald Trump, said Thursday he's been told that the former president has been indicted in New York on charges involving payments made during the 2016 presidential campaign to silence claims of an extramarital sexual encounter. It becomes the first ever criminal case against a former U.S. president and a jolt to Trump's bid to retake the White House in 2024.... Trump, who has denied any wrongdoing and has attacked the investigation was expected to surrender to authorities next week, according to a person familiar with the matter...."
** Sheryl Stolberg of the New York Times: "A federal judge in Texas who once declared the Affordable Care Act unconstitutional issued a far-reaching ruling on Thursday that prevents the Biden administration from enforcing a provision of the law that provides patients with certain types of free preventive care, including screenings for cancer, depression, diabetes and H.I.V. The decision, by Judge Reed O'Connor of the Federal District Court for the Northern District of Texas, applies nationwide. If it stands, it could have far-reaching implications for millions of Americans, and bring the United States back to the days before the 2010 health law known as Obamacare, when insurers were free to decide which preventive services they would cover. The ruling, which is in the form of a nationwide injunction, takes effect immediately, said Lawrence O. Gostin, an expert on health policy at Georgetown University.... The Biden administration is likely to appeal the ruling and ask for a stay of the injunction." MB: This is a horror. People will die.
Afterlife of a Kleptocracy. Jonathan Swan, et al., of the New York Times: "Wealth funds in the United Arab Emirates and Qatar have invested hundreds of millions of dollars with Jared Kushner's private equity firm, according to people with knowledge of the transactions, joining Saudi Arabia in backing the venture launched by ... Donald J. Trump's son-in-law as he left the White House. The infusion of money from interests in the two rival Persian Gulf monarchies reflects the continued efforts by Mr. Trump and his aides and allies to profit from the close ties they built to the Arab world during his presidency and the desire of leaders in the region to remain on good terms with Mr. Kushner as his father-in-law seeks the presidency again. The Emiratis invested more than $200 million with Mr. Kushner's firm, Affinity Partners.... The U.A.E.'s embassy in Washington declined to comment. A Qatari entity invested a similar sum...."
Michael Schmidt & Maggie Haberman of the New York Times: "... Donald J. Trump has regularly railed against a justice system that he contends has been deployed against him by his political opponents.... But as is often the case with Mr. Trump his accusations -- widely repeated by other Republicans -- reflect his own pattern of conduct: his history of threatening or seeking to employ the expansive powers of the presidency to go after his enemies, real and perceived. 'He was always telling me that we need to use the F.B.I. and I.R.S. to go after people -- it was constant and obsessive and is just what he's claiming is being done to him now,' said John F. Kelly, Mr. Trump's second White House chief of staff." Read on. MB: I avoided reading this article earlier today, but I see that it does contain new reporting, albeit on a general matter we already knew. The DOJ willingly went along with Trump's urging to investigate John Kerry, the reporters lay out.
Stefan Becket & Robert Costa of CBS News: "The Manhattan grand jury investigating ... Donald Trump's involvement in a payment to adult film star Stormy Daniels is also probing the circumstances surrounding money paid in the run-up to the 2016 election to a second woman who alleged an affair with Trump, according to two people familiar with the matter. Witnesses who have appeared before the grand jury have fielded questions about Karen McDougal, a former Playboy model and actress, these sources said.... American Media, Inc., the Enquirer's parent company, later admitted it had acquired the rights to McDougal's story in order to bury it and help Trump's campaign. David Pecker, who was the company's CEO until 2020 and a staunch Trump ally, testified before the grand jury earlier this week."
Marie: I keep forgetting to post a link to this unsurprising bit of news: ~~~
~~~ Sara Murray, et al., of CNN: "... Donald Trump is appealing a court ruling that would force several of his former aides, including Mark Meadows, to answer questions before a grand jury as part of the criminal investigation into efforts to overturn the 2020 election, two sources familiar with the matter told CNN. The mid-March ruling from US District Judge Beryl Howell, who was then the chief judge of DC's federal trial court, is one of several defeats the former president has suffered in his efforts to use executive privilege claims to block the testimony of former aides and allies in the Justice Department's special counsel investigations. In another recent ruling, Howell's successor, Chief Judge James Boasberg, rejected Trump's executive privilege challenge to a subpoena for former Vice President Mike Pence."
Kyle Cheney of Politico: "A federal judge's secret order on Tuesday requiring Mike Pence to testify about aspects of Donald Trump's bid to subvert the 2020 election was also an unprecedented ruling about the vice presidency itself. It is the first time in U.S. history that a federal judge has concluded that vice presidents -- like presidents -- are entitled to a form of immunity from prying investigators. But unlike presidents, who draw all their power from the executive branch, vice presidents get their immunity from Congress, Chief U.S. District Court Judge James Boasberg ruled. That's because vice presidents -- while commonly perceived as mere agents of the president -- are constitutionally required to serve as president of the Senate. And officers of Congress, like lawmakers and their aides, enjoy immunity rooted in a provision of the Constitution known as the 'speech or debate' clause, meant to safeguard Congress from law enforcement inquiries related to their official duties.... Pence must testify, [Boasberg] ruled, but the speech-or-debate immunity may allow him to avoid answering questions about his legislative role on Jan. 6."
Craig Timberg , et al., of the Washington Post: "Russian intelligence agencies worked with a Moscow-based defense contractor to strengthen their ability to launch cyberattacks, sow disinformation and surveil sections of the internet, according to thousands of pages of confidential corporate documents. The documents detail a suite of computer programs and databases that would allow Russia's intelligence agencies and hacking groups to better find vulnerabilities, coordinate attacks and control online activity. The documents suggest the firm was supporting operations including both social media disinformation and training to remotely disrupt real-world targets, such as sea, air and rail control systems. An anonymous person provided the documents from the contractor, NTC Vulkan, to a German reporter after expressing outrage about Russia's attack on Ukraine. The leak, an unusual occurrence for Russia's secretive military industrial complex, demonstrates another unintended consequence of President Vladimir Putin's decision to take his country to war."
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The Murderers' Accomplices
Katie Rogers & Michael Crowley of the New York Times: "When President Biden bluntly warned Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that he 'cannot continue down this road' of overhauling his country's judiciary, he touched off the kind of response usually expressed by America's adversaries rather than its allies.... Mr. Netanyahu ... on Wednesday accus[ed] the U.S. president of meddling in another country's politics -- which is exactly what Mr. Biden was intending to do. It was a remarkably public outbreak of the kind of disagreement that usually takes place in private. But there were other factors at work that had been brewing for many years. There is no love lost between the two leaders, despite their polite facade when it comes to their decades-long relationship and their common commitment to Israel's defense. Mr. Netanyahu made no particular effort to hide his backing for ... Donald J. Trump in the 2020 election.... In Mr. Biden's eyes, Mr. Netanyahu himself engaged in what was perhaps the boldest interference in the American legislative process in modern history, when he arrived in Washington in 2015 and addressed Congress, denouncing a then-pending nuclear deal with Iran as a 'nightmare.'..."
Annie Karni of the New York Times: "The mass shooting at a Christian elementary school in Nashville this week has generated a broad shrugging of the shoulders in Washington, from President Biden to Republicans in Congress.... But while President Biden's stark admission on Tuesday that he could do no more on his own to tackle the issue was a statement of fact that aimed to put the burden on Congress to send him legislation..., Republicans' expressions of helplessness reflected an unwillingness, rather than an inability, to act. Their answer to Mr. Biden's plea was as blunt as it was swift, as lawmaker after Republican lawmaker made it clear that they had no intention of considering any additional gun safety measures.
"'We're not going to fix it,' Representative Tim Burchett, Republican of Tennessee, told reporters on the steps of the Capitol just hours after the shooting that killed three children and three adults in his home state. 'Criminals are going to be criminals.' Mr. Burchett said he saw no 'real role' for Congress to play in reducing gun violence, and volunteered that his solution to the issue of protecting his family was to home-school his children.... Senator John Cornyn, Republican of Texas, who served as the lead Republican negotiator on [an extremely weak gun-control] bill [last year], dismissed Mr. Biden's calls for banning assault weapons as a set of 'tired talking points.'... After Karine Jeane-Pierre, the White House press secretary, criticized congressional Republicans for their inaction on guns, Senator Tom Cotton, Republican of Arkansas, pointedly made reference to the issue of the shooter's gender on Twitter, posting a message that, 'it doesn't get much lower than blaming Republicans in Congress for a transgender killer who targeted a Christian school.'" ~~~
Mike Baker, et al., of the New York Times: "Amid the ghastly cadence of multiple mass shootings that have prompted calls for more comprehensive controls on guns, Republicans in statehouses have been steadily expanding access to guns.... Tennessee lawmakers propos[ed] bills this year to arm more teachers and allow college students to carry weapons on campus, among other measures. The same day [as the mass shooting in a Nashville elementary school], a federal judge signed off on a state settlement allowing people as young as 18 to carry a handgun without a permit.... In Kentucky, Ohio, Nebraska, Texas and Virginia, Republicans have pushed this year to limit gun-free zones, remove background checks and roll back red-flag laws that seek to remove firearms from those who are a danger to themselves or others.... Republican leaders around the country have rushed to burnish their firearms credentials, mindful that eventhe suggestion they are not all-in on gun rights could have political consequences....
"In Congress, the same day as the Tennessee shooting, the House Judiciary Committee chairman, Jim Jordan, an Ohio Republican, postponed a hearing where he planned to make the case for a Republican bill to outlaw one of the modest regulatory efforts undertaken by the Biden administration, a requirement to register so-called stabilizing braces that allow semiautomatic pistols to be propped against the shoulder for easier, more focused firing. Images of the weapons used in the Nashville shooting appeared to show that the killer owned such a brace and might have used it in the attack, according to law enforcement officials."
Andrew Jeong of the Washington Post: "... a heated discussion over gun control between Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-N.Y.) and Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) turned into a shouting match in a hallway outside the House chamber. Bowman, a former middle school principal, was telling reporters that Republicans were 'gutless' for not backing gun control laws after this week's [elementary school] shooting [in Nashville].... Massie..., who was walking by..., [and] who once tweeted a holiday photo of his family holding guns, then told Bowman, 'You know, there's never been a school shooting in a school that allows teachers to carry.'... Bowman then repeatedly told Massie that states that have open-carry laws have more deaths. When Massie told Bowman to calm down, the second-term congressman yelled, 'Calm down? Children are dying!'" The Huffington Post's report is here.
Jared Gans of the Hill: "Rep. Jared Moskowitz (D-Fla.) slammed Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) over Republican efforts to ban certain books in schools but not enact gun control legislation following the shooting at the Nashville, Tenn., school.... 'You guys are worried about banning books -- dead kids can't read,' Moskowitz said at a House Oversight Committee hearing Wednesday...." ~~~
~~~ Marie: You need watch only till about :32 seconds in, although Moskowitz does reply to the retort from Miss Margie, which follows.
Hannah Allam of the Washington Post: "The AR-15's image as an instrument of domestic terror has been crystallized in recent years by its use in a string of hate-filled mass shootings.... Far-right factions throughout the country have shown up with AR-15s to intimidate voters and local officials, harass Muslims outside of mosques, and stand as self-appointed guards at pro-Donald Trump rallies.... Two armed groups -- one on the far right, one on the far left -- agreed to allow a Washington Post reporter and photographer to document training sessions ... last fall.... There is no parallel, however, when it comes to the use of violence by the extreme right and left.... Attacks by militant leftists are almost never deadly, according to attack records, and typically involve 'melee violence' at protests rather than the premeditated mass shootings or standoffs carried out by the far right.... Militant leftists [are] a tiny fraction of armed movements.... Far-left violence in the past decade, according to a report by George Washington University's Program on Extremism, 'pales in comparison.'... [On the right,] the violent rhetoric of once-fringe movements has now seeped into the Republican mainstream, with extremists exploiting white-grievance politics and anti-LGBTQ bigotry at all levels of political office."
Fenit Nirappil of the Washington Post: "Conservative commentators and Republican politicians unleashed a new wave of anti-trans rhetoric following Monday's shooting at a Nashville Christian school that killed six people, escalating a broader backlash to the rising visibility of transgender people in public life. The attempts on the right to connect violence to transgender people come even though transgender people are rarely the perpetrators of mass shootings, which are overwhelmingly carried out by cisgender men, according to criminal justice experts. And trans people are more likely to be victims of violence than cisgender people, multiple studies have shown.... Nevertheless, Fox News host Tucker Carlson featured a photo of the shooter superimposed with the words 'Trans Killer' on his Tuesday show. The chyron read: 'We are witnessing the rise of trans violence.' Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) speculated on Twitter, as well as during a congressional hearing Wednesday, that hormone treatment may have played a role in the shooting, even though there is no evidence the shooter was on hormone therapy. And ... Donald Trump on Wednesday, without evidence, also connected the Nashville shooting to hormone therapy...." MB: You can hear Greene's remarks in the video posted above. A Guardian story is here. ~~~
~~~ Marie: Even though we don't know how the Nashville shooter self-identified, this supposed issue is a win-win for Republicans. Not only do they use it to deflect attention from their support for vast distribution of weapons of mass murder, they also are using it as an opportunity to bash vulnerable people.
Karoun Demirjian of the New York Times: "The Senate voted on Wednesday to repeal authorizations from 1991 and 2002 for combat operations against Iraq, moving with broad bipartisan support to advance a yearslong effort to claw back congressional war powers. The bill goes next to the Republican-led House, which has passed similar legislation several times in recent years but where G.O.P. leaders are undecided about whether to put it on the floor. Still, the 66-to-30 vote in the Senate was a potentially pivotal step in the long-running push by Republicans and Democrats to reassert the national security prerogatives of Congress, with 18 G.O.P. senators joining in support."
Carl Hulse of the New York Times: "The Senate on Wednesday approved and sent to President Biden another Republican-led measure to overturn an administration rule, this one a rollback of new clean water regulations opposed by business and agriculture interests. Mr. Biden has pledged to veto the legislation blocking the 'waters of the United States' rule, but the approval of the measure marked the second time this month that Republicans have broken away enough Democrats to force a veto showdown over administration policies.... The vote was 53 to 43, with four Democrats and one independent joining 48 Republicans in challenging the administration rule. The House had already voted to overturn it."
Bernie, for the People. Lauren Gurney of the Washington Post: "Former Starbucks executive Howard Schultz unequivocally denied that the coffee giant had broken the law in its fight against unionization during a tense questioning from Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) on Wednesday.... 'Over the past 18 months, Starbucks has waged the most aggressive and illegal union-busting campaign in the modern history of our country,' Sanders said on Wednesday. 'That union-busting campaign has been led by Howard Schultz, the multibillionaire founder and director of Starbucks who is with us this morning only under the threat of subpoena.'... Schultz said he was not involved in decisions to discipline or fire union activists or close unionizing stores, though he said he had conversations that may have been interpreted as threatening to workers.... Schultz initially declined to testify at Wednesday's hearing, but he relented after Sanders, the committee's chairman, threatened to hold a vote earlier this month to subpoena him.... Organizers of the Starbucks Workers United campaign accuse Starbucks of stalling contract negotiations and continuously retaliating against employees engaged in labor organizing." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)
House Republicans in Disarray. Catie Edmonson of the New York Times: "House Republicans who have said they will not vote to raise the national debt limit without deep spending cuts are backing away from their promise to balance the budget and struggling to unite their fractious majority behind a fiscal plan, paralyzing progress on talks to avert a catastrophic default as soon as this summer.... Even as they continue to deride President Biden's $6.8 trillion budget proposal, released this month, House Republicans have begun to inch away from their own stated objectives, plagued by divisions that have prevented them from agreeing on a plan of their own that can draw enough support to pass with their slim majority."
Senate Republicans in Disarray. Mariana Alfaro & Kelsey Ables of the Washington Post: "Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) blocked an effort by Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) to fast-track legislation he introduced that would ban the popular Chinese-owned social media app TikTok nationwide."
Zoë Richards of NBC News: "Twitter temporarily restricted Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene's congressional account Tuesday after she repeatedly posted a graphic that referred to a 'Trans Day of Vengeance.' According to a screenshot Greene, R-Ga., posted on her personal account, Twitter said it had 'temporarily limited' some of her account's features, with full functionality scheduled to be restored in seven days. The post in question, which Twitter has since removed, included a graphic that Greene said was for an antifa event in Washington, D.C., next month. 'Antifa is organizing a Trans Day of Vengeance,' Greene wrote in accompanying text.... 'We do not support tweets that incite violence irrespective of who posts them,' [a Twitter veep] tweeted. '"Vengeance" does not imply peaceful protest. Organizing or support for peaceful protests is ok.'" (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)
Martin Pengelly of the Guardian: "In bizarre scenes in a US House hearing, the far-right Republican Lauren Boebert asked if a revised Washington DC criminal code was now law -- only to be reminded that Congress overturned it earlier this month -- then fixated on whether that code would have decriminalised public urination.... Boebert said [to one of the witnesses, D.C. Councilman Charles Allen]: 'You led the charge, yes sir. And these changes are now law here in DC. Correct?' Allen said: 'You mean the revised criminal code? No, those are not the law.' Boebert appeared confused. [Another witness, D.C. council chair Phil] Mendelson said: 'The revised code was rejected by -- ' Cutting Mendelson off, Boebert pressed Allen. 'Did you or did you not decriminalise public urination in Washington DC? Did you lead the charge to do so?'" Boebert continued to grill Allen about his supposed efforts to decriminalize public urination and "claimed to 'have records' showing Allen favored 'allowing public urination'." ~~~
~~~ Marie: I do want to congratulate Boebert for upholding the House GOP's successful effort to hold ridiculous "investigative" hearings. I eagerly await the dog poop hearing.
Homina Homina. Lee Moran of the Huffington Post (March 25): "C-SPAN anchor Greta Brawner fact-checked far-right Rep. Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.) during a viewer call-in segment Friday. On the 'Washington Journal' program, one caller told Biggs how angry he was about ... Donald Trump's wish 'to pardon the traitors ... convicted of seditious conspiracy' over the deadly U.S. Capitol riot that took place on Jan. 6, 2021.... Biggs, a Trump loyalist who helped organize the 'Stop the Steal' rally..., falsely claimed that nobody had been convicted of that charge in relation to the attack.... Brawner ... told him, 'Congressman, USA Today had this headline back in November of 2022 that Stewart Rhodes, the Oath Keepers' founder, was found guilty of seditious conspiracy.' 'Oh, OK,' Biggs replied. 'Yeah, well, I didn't follow that case.'" ~~~
~~~ Marie: In fairness to Biggs, I doubt right-wing media extensively covered the seditious conspiracy case, and there's not much chance Biggs reads MSM outlets, which did report, sometimes daily, on the trial and repeatedly related how rarely DOJ has brought and successfully prosecuted seditious conspiracy charges. Also too, Biggs is as dumb as a rock.
All the Best People. Ken Klippenstein of the Intercept: "Derrick Miller, a former U.S. Army National Guard sergeant who spent eight years in prison for murdering an Afghan civilian in 2010, now serves as a legislative assistant covering military policy for Florida Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz.... Miller covers armed forces and national security, international affairs, and veterans affairs for Gaetz, according to the Congress-tracking website LegiStorm. Gaetz serves on the House Armed Services Committee." MB: Yeah, so what could possibly be wrong with that?
** Happy Holidays, Everybody! Erica Ordan of Politico: "The Manhattan grand jury examining Donald Trump's alleged role in a hush money payment to a porn star isn't expected to hear evidence in the case for the next month largely due to a previously scheduled hiatus, according to a person familiar with the proceedings. The break would push any indictment of the former president to late April at the earliest, although it is possible that the grand jury's schedule could change." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)
Marie: On the teevee yesterday, I heard a good deal of speculation like this: ~~~
~~~ Sarah Burris of the Raw Story: "Sources are telling WNBC that Allen Weisselberg, the former CFO of the Trump Organization, has fired his Trump Org lawyers.... Michael Cohen [switched lawyers] just before he flipped on Trump. Cassidy Hutchinson had a Trump-funded lawyer before she fired him and got another lawyer so she could tell the Jan. 6 investigatory committee the truth.... Each time a Trump-funded lawyer was fired, it has been an indication that those previous allies were about to turn. Weisselberg is serving a five-month sentence in a Rikers Island jail, known for being one of the most violent in America. MSNBC's Ali Velshi noted that if someone was trying to get Weisselberg to flip, now would be the time.... 'It's a big deal. That could potentially explain the delay' [in the Manhattan DA's case, Velshi said.]" ~~~
~~~ Marie: Of course I hope the speculation is correct. But the speculation very well could be nothing more than wishful thinking. Until another news organizations independently verify WNBC's story, we can't even be sure the underlying "fact" -- that Weisselberg fired his lawyers -- is true. If true, there are other reasons Weisselberg could have dismissed the attorneys. Moreover, there's no indication Bragg has delayed his case. The notion that Bragg suddenly delayed asking the grand jury to bring a true bill is based entirely on (1) Trump's false claim he would be indicted last Tuesday and (2) rampant media hype based on Trump's claim. Bragg has never indicated (as far as I recall) that he was wrapping up his presentation to the grand jury. So, as far as we know, there has not been a delay. RAS and I briefly discussed this near the end of yesterday's Comments.
Trump v. the People. Philip Bump of the Washington Post: Wherein Donald Trump tells Sean Hannity how much he admires "Chinese democracy": "... They have a caste system. And the smartest person gets to the top. The smartest and most vicious," Trump says. Bump: "What Trump appears to have been trying to describe is the stratified system of political ascent in the Chinese Communist Party, in which potential leaders work their way up through the ranks to power.... Trump's praise for the Chinese system ... was simply praise for a process in which ruthless actors can scramble for power and climb their way up to the top.... He was the autocratic leader of the Trump Organization and, save a bankruptcy or two, that worked out. Why not be the autocratic leader of the United States?... His view of democratic elections was not of an electorate empowered to choose its leaders but, instead, a process to be manipulated for power." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~
~~~ MB: Bump's brief post may explain most of Trump's "philosophy" and why he thinks he has a right to do whatever he wants, & why everyone who defers to laws and norms is -- in his opinion -- corrupt.
The News About Fox "News." Amanda Terkel, et al. of NBC News: "Ten days after the 2020 election, Fox News' so-called Brain Room looked into conspiracy theories that Dominion Voting Systems had rigged the presidential election against Donald Trump. The fact-checking and research division of the network came back with a clear decision: Those claims were false. But the misinformation went on the air anyway. Details of the Brain Room's fact-check were revealed Wednesday in newly released slides from a presentation by Dominion, which the company showed at last week's pretrial hearing in its $1.6 billion defamation lawsuit against Fox News and its parent company, Fox Corp.... Fox News had redacted the Brain Room findings, but the judge ordered Tuesday that they be made public." ~~~
~~~ Aidan McLaughlin of Mediaite: Among the previously-redacted documents were communications among Fox personnel, like this exchange between Tucker Carlson and a staffer re: loony lawyer Sidney Powell: "'That cunt,' he wrote in a text on Nov. 22[, 2020]. 'I hope she's punished.' 'I'm going to destroy her,' the staffer replied."
Linda Greenhouse of the New York Times: "On March 17, the Biden administration asked the [Supreme Court] justices to overturn an appeals court decision that can charitably be described as nuts, and accurately as pernicious. The decision by a three-judge panel of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit invalidated a federal law that for almost 30 years has prohibited gun ownership by people who are subject to restraining orders for domestic violence.... Now it is up to the justices to say whether that analysis is correct.... The government's petition points out that there are more than one million acts of domestic violence in the United States every year 'and the presence of a gun in a house with a domestic abuser increases the risk of homicide sixfold.' Will a fact like that matter to the Supreme Court? Do facts still matter at all?" (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)
Jan Hoffman of the New York Times: "Narcan, a prescription nasal spray that reverses opioid overdoses, can now be sold over the counter, the Food and Drug Administration said on Wednesday, authorizing a move long-sought by public health officials and treatment experts, who hope wider availability of the medicine will reduce the nation's alarmingly high drug fatality rates. By late summer, over-the-counter Narcan, could be for sale in big-box chains, vending machines, supermarkets, convenience stores, gas stations and even online retailers.... Narcan is a nasal spray version of the drug naloxone, which blocks an opioid&'s effect on the brain.... But for people who use drugs, as well as for their friends and relatives, ready access to the prescription medication has been elusive." An NPR report is here. MB: Not a solution to the opioid crisis, but this could be a real life-saver. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)
Beyond the Beltway
Arizona. Michael Sherer of the Washington Post: "The Arizona Democratic Party will file a lawsuit Thursday against the state's top election administrator and No Labels, seeking to reverse the moderate group's recognition as a political party for the 2024 elections, according to Democratic officials. The lawsuit, in state court in Phoenix, reflects growing concern in Democratic circles that a No Labels third-party ticket in 2024 will jeopardize the reelection hopes of President Biden and make it harder for Democrats to maintain control of the Senate."
Arizona. Maham Javaid of the Washington Post: "Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs (D) asked her press secretary to resign Tuesday night amid backlash over a meme she tweeted that prominent conservatives in the state said was a threat against 'transphobes.' The meme was shared hours after a mass killing in Nashville took six lives and left questions about the shooter's gender identity. Murphy Hebert, Hobbs' director of communications, told The Washington Post that Josselyn Berry delivered her resignation after the governor asked for it. The meme shared on Twitter by Berry depicts a woman wielding a gun in each hand, a still from the 1980 crime thriller 'Gloria.' Berry's caption alongside the image read, 'Us when we see transphobes.'... Berry's Twitter account was locked by Wednesday afternoon." A CBS News story is here.
Florida. Mouse Routs DeSantolini. AP: “Board members picked by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis to oversee the governance of Walt Disney World said Wednesday that their Disney-controlled predecessors pulled a fast one on them by passing restrictive covenants that strip the new board of many of its powers. The current supervisors of the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District said at a meeting that their predecessors last month signed a development agreement with the company that gave Disney maximum developmental power over the theme park resort's 27,000 acres in central Florida. The five supervisors were appointed by the Republican governor to the board after the Florida Legislature overhauled Disney's government in retaliation for the entertainment giant publicly opposing so-called 'Don't Say Gay' legislation...." A Washington Post report is here.
Kentucky. Campbell Robertson & Ernesto Londoño of the New York Times: "The Republican-dominated Kentucky legislature voted overwhelmingly on Wednesday to override the governor's veto of a bill that will create a host of new regulations and restrictions on transgender youth, including banning access to what doctors call gender-affirming health care. The bill, described by L.G.B.T.Q. rights groups as among the most extreme in the nation, was vetoed on Friday by Gov. Andy Beshear, a Democrat, but it was overridden in both the State House and Senate, where Republicans hold supermajorities."
Minnesota. Ellen Francis of the Washington Post: "A train carrying ethanol derailed and sparked a fire in Raymond, Minn., authorities said Thursday, urging nearby residents to evacuate. People within a half-mile of the incident were told to evacuate after emergency responders found 'numerous rail cars' on a BNSF train had derailed on the edge of the city and caught fire, the Kandiyohi County Sheriff's Office said in a statement overnight. The derailed tankers contained 'a form of ethanol and others with a corn syrup liquid,' it said. 'The site remains active as the fire is being contained, no travel is advised to the city of Raymond.' Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said the Federal Railroad Administration was at the site after the train derailed early Thursday. He said there were no initial reports of injuries or deaths." At 8:30 am ET, this is a developing story.
Way Beyond
Brazil. Terrence McCoy & Moriah Balingit of the Washington Post: "Former president Jair Bolsonaro left the United States Wednesday night on a flight home to Brazil, a country deeply divided by his governance and policies, where he faces an array of investigations that could ultimately end his political career and even put him in prison."
Mexico. Simon Romero, et al., of the New York Times: "Mexican officials announced on Wednesday that they were investigating a fire at a migrant detention center in Ciudad Juárez as a homicide case, saying that government workers and private security employees had not allowed detainees to escape from the blaze that killed at least 39 people. The authorities, in a news conference, said they had identified eight suspects, including federal and state agents, and would issue four arrest warrants on Wednesday. 'None of the public servants, nor the private security guards, took any action to open the door for the migrants who were inside where the fire was,' said Sara Irene Herrerías Guerra, a top federal human rights prosecutor.... The authorities said they might also investigate one migrant suspected of starting the fire."
Ukraine, et al.
The New York Times' live updates of developments Thursday in Russia's war on Ukraine are here. The Guardian's live updates are here. ~~~
~~~ The Washington Post's live briefing for Thursday is here: "There has been a 'significant increase in the number of troops' in Zaporizhzhia and 'open talk about offensives and counter-offensives' involving Ukrainian and Russian forces, IAEA chief Rafael Mariano Grossi said during a visit Wednesday to the nuclear plant.... Turkey's parliament is expected to ratify Finland's NATO bid on Thursday, paving the way for the Nordic country to join the alliance -- but without its ally and fellow membership hopeful Sweden. Thursday's vote is the last remaining hurdle in Finland's quest to join the military organization. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky invited China's leader, Xi Jinping, to discuss the war during an interview with the Associated Press, adding that he had not been in contact with Xi since before Russia invaded last year."
Daniel Victor & Michael Grynbaum of the New York Times: "The Russian authorities said on Thursday that they had detained an American journalist for The Wall Street Journal and accused him of espionage, marking a sharp escalation in Moscow's hostilities toward foreign news organizations -- and against the United States -- amid the invasion of Ukraine. The journalist, Evan Gershkovich, a correspondent based in Moscow, is believed to be the first American reporter to be held as an accused spy in Russia since the collapse of the Soviet Union.... Hours after the F.S.B. [announceed his detention], the Kremlin endorsed Mr. Gershkovich's arrest.... In a statement, The Wall Street Journal strongly rejected Russia's allegations and said that it was concerned for Mr. Gershkovich's safety." The Guardian's report is here.
News Ledes
New York Times: "Mark Russell, a master of political satire who stood at a star-spangled piano and kept the cognoscenti in stitches for six decades with musical parodies and professorial tomfoolery that tweaked politicians and captured the silly side of Washington, died on Thursday at his home there. He was 90."
New York Times: "Two United States Army helicopters collided during a training mission near a sprawling Army base along the Kentucky-Tennessee border on Wednesday night, causing casualties, the Army said. The two HH-60 Black Hawk assault helicopters crashed into each other at about 10 p.m. during a routine training mission in Trigg County, Ky., Nondice L. Thurman, a spokeswoman at the Army base, Fort Campbell, said in a statement. She added that the crash was under investigation." ~~~
~~~ The story has been updated. New Lede: "Nine soldiers were killed after two United States Army helicopters collided during a training mission near an Army base along the Kentucky-Tennessee border on Wednesday night, the Army said."
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“We’re not going to fix it!”
Exactly. They’re not going to do a goddam thing to prevent children from being murdered with Republican approved assault weapons.
Saying “We’re not going to fix it” is not a tacit admission, it’s a flat out acknowledgment that the gun situation is broken, and they don’t care. It is fixable, it can be fixed, but they refuse to do so. (In fact, they’re the ones who killed the ban, so they’re the ones who broke a situation that had been, at least partly, fixed.)
Will an assault weapon ban stop all gun deaths? Of course not. And that’s the reason so many gun whore pols give for their astonishingly immoral inaction.
BUT it could prevent as many people—children—from being massacred so quickly and easily.
It’s like saying “Well shit, if we can’t completely cure cancer, let’s not bother at all.”
Seatbelts don’t save everyone in car crashes, but even if their use prevents 50% of accident related deaths isn’t that worth it?
No. According to right-wing morons, it’s not.
This isn’t just stupid.
It’s evil.
But that’s the hallmark of Republicans these days: evil. And stupid.
Show me one who isn’t.
The two headlines we should be seeing:
Republicans Still Don’t Have a Budget Proposal
and
Dead Children Can’t Read (banning books isn’t the most important issue in school safety)
I would suggest to journalists when writing about these mass shootings use Ak's "Republican approved assault weapons" as a constant reminder of who is responsible for the lack of the banning of these weapons. Also tag on the question as to why since they cannot be used in hunting–--makes mincemeat of the animal. Then go a step further and ask if those opposed to the ban are getting funding from gun lobbyists.
I hate that I feel such hatred for so much that the Republicans are doing and not doing. It just gets worse day by day and the frustration is painful. And Trump is still out there ––free–--this sick psychopath continues his messages of corruption. God bless America! You betcha!
Ronito gets slipped a mickey…
How Goofy, Donald, Huey, Dewey, and Louie scrooged the fascists. I guess DeSantolini and his cadre of crackpot bootlickers believe they’re the smartest mice in the trap, but Disney is a huge, multi-billion dollar corporation that’s been around for years. Billions of dollars can pay for a lot of canny lawyers and now, taking about paying, Ronito and his new board stacked with nut jobs (one member is a pastor who preaches that tap water is being used to turn people gay…I’m sure that guy is a legal superstar to watch out for) are now using Florida taxpayer money to hire four—count ‘em—four firms to help them try to screw Disney, a corporation they thought they had already well and truly screwed.
According to CNN:
“The board [DeSantolini’s nut jobs] on Wednesday retained ‘multiple financial and legal firms to conduct audits and investigate Disney's past behavior,’ DeSantis spokeswoman Taryn Fenske said. According to meeting documents, the board was entering into agreements with four firms to provide counsel on the matter.”
The Party of “Corporations are people, my friend” is digging around trying to see how they can fuck with the largest employer in the state that brings in over $75 billion a year to Florida. Why? Because for a half a second they questioned DeSantolini’s War on Gay People.
I don’t know how bulletproof Disney’s plan to thwart Ronito’s hijacking is, but I’m betting it’s pretty good. DeSantolini, however, has a rubber stamp legislature. He’ll probably make it illegal for Disney to run its own company.
Pay attention, voters. This is what we can expect if this authoritarian asshole weasels his way into the White House.
Tomi Lahren, right wing talking head, said earlier this week something along the lines of “Liberals are going to have trouble saying something about a shooter who is trans.”
I have no problem with saying:
Nobody should have an assault weapon.
Nobody should have that kind of ammunition.
Nobody should be shooting children.
Re: the No Budget Party.
Despite having no idea of what to do about a budget, McCarthy and the Traitor incompetents are demanding that Biden do what they say.
Two things about that.
First, like so much in politics, this is a poker game. Clearly, McCarthy knows nothing about poker. You don’t get to pick your own cards after the other guy shows you his hand. You play the cards you draw and you’re either a good player or you’re a loser.
Second, what in the holy hell makes these people think that Biden, who already has a budget developed by serious economists, will go along with whatever a bunch of ignorant extremist ideologues who couldn’t balance a household checkbook tell him to do?
They’re like the guy who sits down at a poker game with no money and bets that his 9 high beats a boat.
I posted this morning and was granted the "Your post has been submitted and will appear shortly." It ain't been seen since.
The gods heard me and my post has reappeard. Must have been all those thoughts and prayers taking hold.
@P.D.Pepe: You got spammed. Thanks for letting me know. I just de-spamified your post, with which I heartily agree.
Maybe Americans should start making citizens' arrests of members of Congress who aid and abet mass murderers by refusing to vote for an assault weapons ban and other life-saving gun-control measures. Oh, and the gun-loving Supremes, too, for their fake reading of the Second Amendment.
@P.D.Pepe: I am the god. (That might also be a Donald Trump quote.)
Musky Guy,
It’s a measure of how completely deranged by hatred and fear these people are that they truly believe that screaming “Trans!!” absolves them of all responsibility in the torrent of gun deaths.
How does “Trans!!” beat “Here ya go lunatic. Here’s your assault weapon. No license, training, or stable mental health required. And oh, by the way, the grammar school is that’a way”?
The three things that define Republican thinking today are HFB: hatred, fear, and bigotry. Everything they say and do, all their actions and inactions, all their most horrible schemes are direct extensions of these three motivating factors. Hatred, fear, and bigotry.
But even worse are voters who KNOW this but keep putting these jackals in office. I guess HFB has them too.
Marie,
I think the full quote is “I am a very stable god”.
It’s funny how many, if not most, so-called pagan religions make room for unstable gods, the gods who just want to fuck with you. I like that. At least you know where you stand. Just think of the gods in the Iliad, feuding and screwing with each other. These gods helping the Achaeans, those other gods helping the Trojans. Gods like that, you know who’s on your side and who’s trying to monkey with you.
The Christian god, at least in their telling, is all wise, all knowing, all powerful, and all loving.
How are butchered children a result of that all powerful, all loving god? If there truly were such a being, wouldn’t those responsible for this tsunami of immoral gun violence be dropped down the Straight to Hell chute?
Don’t sound very loving to me. Sounds kinda…unstable. Or maybe even vicious. But what do I know about gods?
NISKY Guy,
Sorry about that “Musky” thing. I fixed it once, but Otto changed it back. Smart ass.
I think it's odd that the news or certain politicians will point out that
the shooter was trans, or gay, or lesbian, or bi, etc.
Don't recall any reports stating the shooter was straight (a straight
shooter?).
Anyhow, I wish these shooters would be captured, not shot dead.
I want to see them get the same treatment they give others. See
what it feels like to be blown apart by an AR-15?
I didn't used to feel that way. What's happened?
Saw a TikTok piece last night— sorry I am too dumb to figure out how to send it to everyone in which a reporter in TN repeatedly called out to legislators “what are you doing to protect kids?” And the entire group of redneck idiots retorted or pretended to not understand the questions; one moron just screamed Biden numerous times. They are all ignorant a-holes. Mean and greedy and pieces of crap, irredeemable.
@AK: I figured Otto was involved. For the record, I took a shower this morning...
The article about Narcan implies that it's a one-hit wonder drug. It may not be.
My wife was prescribed a box of two Naloxone Hydrochloride Nasal Sprays at the same time as her instant-release and extended-release morphine (not sure if the docs intended the naloxone for her or for me:). I just read the information sheets we were given about it.
Under Uses:
"The effects of naloxone will not last as long as the effects of the opioid. Since treatment with this medication is not long lasting, be sure to get medical help right away after giving the first dose of naloxone. Treatment of opioid overdose should also include breathing treatment (such as oxygen given through tubes in the nose, mechanical ventilation, artificial respiration.)"
Under How to Use:
"The effects of this medication are rapid but not long lasting. After giving naloxone, get medical help right away, even if the person wakes up. If symptoms return after giving the spray, give another dose in the other nostril every 2 to 3 minutes, changing sides of the nose with each dose. Each spray contains only one dose and cannot be reused. Continue to closely watch the person until emergency help comes. Tell the health care professional that you have given naloxone spray."
Even the instructions on the box state that "...if the person does not respond...redose every 2 to 3 minutes, if available..."
The box of 2 sprays was billed out at $135.39. The plan discount was $49.07. Insurance allowed and paid $86.32. Our cost $0.00.
How many should people buy to have on hand just in case? Guess it depends on how quickly the EMT's can arrive.
and the big question now is how is Fox going to spin this story? I'd say pretty straight but with every right wing slant they can hang on it.
I love Marcy Wheeler. "These are just the training wheel charges."